tingilinde

heard yesterday

 

they're called alpha males because most of them can't even make it through a few sheets of paper

(social and physics observation)

 

 

have you experienced signs of global warming?

In the US it turns out to depend on the political party you identify with.

a tip of the hat to Andy

 

the lenski lab

Mentioned here before, but another look at Richard Lenski's long running evolution experiment.

 

mad magazine foresees zoom in 1999

 

quick and dirty merv-13 fan-in-a-box air filters

A simple solution.  Not as good as directly exchanging outside air, but it might be useful in some settings.

snip

...

So how did we do in our tests with our “Box Fan with a MERV 13 filter” cleaning device? In the tool room, the device removed 59.7% of the one micron sized particles and 86.4% of the five micron sized particles. In the breakroom, the device removed 74.6% of the one micron sized particles and 80% of the 5 micron sized particles. In short, the results show meaningful reductions in the target particle size range. The “Box Fan with a MERV 13 Filter” should be a useful tool in the fight against Covid-19.

One thing we need to make clear – this device is not a HEPA air purifier. It does not have a Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) which is the standard for measuring the effectiveness of air cleaners. Purchasing and using a HEPA air purifier is the better option. However, their cost may be prohibitive. In this case the “Box Fan with a MERV 13” filter is a reasonable option.

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a heat explainer

The Western heat dome.

snip

...

Jane Wilson Baldwin, a postdoctoral researcher at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, said that given the severe drought in the West right now, many feedbacks between the land and the atmosphere are combining to produce an unusually persistent extreme.

“When the land surface is drier, it can’t cool itself through evaporation which makes the surface even hotter, which strengthens the blocking high further,” she said in an interview.

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damage control!

Just how much damage did Trump and his cronies do to the State Department?  Ronan Farrow writing in The New Yorker.

Unsurprising, but beyond disturbing.  The question now is can it be repaired?

 

 

 

getting ready for the last tune-up

A Canadian team gets ready for the Olympics (Sarah Pavan is a friend and one boasts about friends)

a fascinating piece on josquin desprez

If you like music of that period, this is fascinating.  (40min audio or text in The New Yorker)

snip

...

With Josquin began the cult of the great composer—a mind-set that has left a distinctly ambiguous imprint on classical-music culture. And his rise to superhero status brought with it a curious paradox. Although commentators across five centuries have agreed on Josquin’s preëminence, his works can easily be confused with those of other gifted contemporaries.

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cave syndrome

When it's difficult getting back to normal behavior after over a year in near isolation.

snip

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Emerging into the light after a year locked inside is proving to be a difficult transition for some people. Jacqueline Gollan, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University, says adjusting to the new normal, whatever it may be, is going to take time. “The pandemic-related changes created a lot of fear and anxiety because of the risk of illness and death, along with the repercussions in many areas of life,” she says. “Even though a person may be vaccinated, they still may find it difficult to let go of that fear because they're overestimating the risk and probability.”

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